looked at the cord, it had been cut too. Where's my cell phone?
I looked over to the coffee table. There it was in the middle of the glass.
Banging came from the basement door. It sounded like he was throwing things at it. The door was cracking and I could hear it. It wasn't much longer until he got out.
I ran to the coffee table jumping over the couch. I grabbed it shoving it into my back pocket and ran past the basement door and into my parents’ room.
The door slammed open.
I dove into my parents’ closet and curled up in a ball in the back corner, behind a lot of boxes, hiding myself. Sweat was pouring from my forehead stinging my cut. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear anything. I was surprised he didn't hear it.
Suddenly a buzzing came from my back pocket. I pulled it out. It was James again. I flipped it open.
“Hello?” I whispered, out of breath.
“Jessica? Thank you for answering the phone. Babe, we need to talk.” He said in a sad voice.
“James, I don't have time.”
“What?” He could hear the panic in my voice. “Are you alright?”
“There is a man in my house.” My voice trembled.
“Don't let him touch you.” He said, angry now. “I'm coming to get you. Do whatever it takes to get away from him. Bye.”
“I love you.” I said, just before he hung up.
He paused. “I love you too. I'll be there soon.” He hung up.
I was not so sure he would get here in time. I had to let him know my true feelings. I really did love him no matter what happened.
I have to get out of the house; run to the neighbors if I could. I have to act quickly, and quietly. I have to run.
I watched the man walk past the door to my parents’ room and down the hall. He was making a lot of noise and throwing things around. He started mumbling. I couldn’t tell what he was saying. Why is he making so much noise? It didn’t matter. I couldn’t think about that now.
Tears streamed out of my eyes. I closed my eyes. This was it. Goodbye, James. I love you.
After a few moments, I opened my eyes, got out of the closet and ran to the door. I ran through the trees in my front yard, trying to find the road through my dizziness and blurred vision. I looked for a place to hide.
As I ran through the trees I tripped and fell many times. My lungs were ready to burst, but I couldn’t give up. Pain ran through every part of my body, it was agonizing. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see, I was soaking wet, covered in mud, blood oozed from my forehead, and it was pitch black. I pushed myself harder.
I fell down again, cutting myself on rocks and tree branches. I got back up, not looking where I was going. I slammed into what seemed like a brick wall and then I felt hands grab me.
“No!” I screamed, pounding my fists on the man. “Let go of me!”
They turned me around grabbing my face, smothering the sound of my screams, while using the other hand to hold down my arms.
“Be still.” He said quietly in my ear. The voice sounded familiar. It was beautiful.
He turned me around. I stared in awe at those beautiful big blue eyes. I gave him a great big hug and buried my face in his shoulder. For once this whole night, I felt safe and secure. He put his hand gently on the back of my head. I couldn’t help but cry harder. My heart burst with happiness as James held me in his firm grip.
“I thought I lost you.” He whispered.
“I love you.” I said softly.
“We’ve got to get you out of here.”
He grabbed my hand to lead me to his car. It was parked on the side of the road. The road was closer than I had thought. I must have run in circles.
We snuck past the trees and to his shiny, black Silverado. He opened the passenger door and helped me inside. Then he ran around to the driver side and climbed in. He put the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. He put it in drive and we drove down the hill.
I rested my head against the window and looked at the house. There parked in my driveway was a familiar vehicle. My heart stopped.
“Did you and Carlos ever meet up with Stacy?” I asked.
“No. I called and canceled. I didn’t want to go without you.”
“Stop the car.” I commanded.
“What?” He said confused.
Suddenly my cell phone rang. I pulled it out. It was Stacy. Trembling, I flipped the phone open.
“Hello?” My voice shook.
“Jess?” It was Stacy. Her voice was trembling.
“Stacy, are you alright?”
She started crying. “He’s going to kill me.”
I could hear him talking in the background. He took the phone from her.
“If you go to the police, she dies.” He whispered.
I heard a click. The phone was silent. He hung up. I froze. The phone fell out of my hand and crashed on the floor of James’ truck.
“Are you alright?” James put his hand on my knee.
I opened the door, forcing him to stop and I jumped out. I ran back towards the house.
James got out of the truck, chasing after me. He was faster than I was. He caught up and wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up.
“No!” I shouted, kicking. “Stacy is in there! I can’t leave her!”
“I can’t let you leave!”
“She’s in the house!”
“If you go in the house, he’ll kill you too.” His voice softened.
“I can’t leave her behind.”
“The police will get her.”
I shook my head. “He’ll kill her!” I broke free from his grasp and ran toward the house.
“He’ll kill you, Jess!” He yelled after me.
I stopped and turned around. “Why does it matter? You’ve got Carlie.”
He stared at me in awe.
His voice faded as I ran. I had hoped he’d come with me but, I heard the slam of his truck door. I kept running.
I snuck up to the door, and looked through the corner of my eye through the window. No one was in the living room. Then I heard a scream come from a room on the top level of the house. It was Stacy. As I opened the door I felt arms wrap around my waist and turn me around. He pushed me against the wall and held my face in his hands. He pulled me close, adrenaline rushed through my body as he pressed his lips against mine. Then he pulled away, still holding my face in his hands.
“I thought you left.” I said staring into eyes.
“I love you, Jess, only you. Carlie grabbed me and kissed me against my will. It only lasted one second. I pushed her away. I promise that’s what happened. Please, please forgive me.” James’ eyes looked pleading.
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s fair enough.” He smiled. “Let’s go save Stacy.”
“Alright.”
He let me go and opened the door. We snuck into the house. James put his arms around me. We walked passed the kitchen and to the stairway that lead to the upstairs. We snuck up the stairs, pausing at the top to look both ways, like crossing the street.
All the doors were open and sure enough the man was still in there, talking to Stacy. We snuck up to the door and backed against the wall to listen. The man held her against the wall.
“You aren’t going to win.” She said in a trembling voice.
“Are you sure about that?”
“The police will come find you and you will get what you deserve.”
He laughed. Then he punched her and she fell to the ground.
My hands held my mouth as I tried to hold the anger in. James held me back.
The man reached down and wrapped his big hand against her throat and lifted her up. “If the police come, you will die.”
“I’d rather die then let you get away and kill more people.” She gasped.
He dropped her and she struggled to breathe. Then he punched her again. “The
n you will die anyway.” He held her down grasping her neck again. She struggled to breathe, tears running down her face. She passed out.
I couldn’t handle it. I jumped through the doorway and tackled him.
“Get your hands off of her!” I screamed.
He let go of her throat and we tumbled to the ground. He overpowered me and threw me off of him. I ran out the door with him chasing me.
I was wondering where James was when he jumped, colliding into the man, landing on top of him and punching him in the face several times.
The man kicked James off of him and pushed him against the wall. Punching him in the stomach and then throwing him down the stairs.
“James!” I screamed.
“Come here little girl.” The man came after me.
I had nowhere to run, except for into rooms where he could corner me. I ran into the room behind me. I grabbed everything I could and threw it at him. He tackled me to the ground holding my arms down with one hand and then grasping my neck with his other, stopping the air from getting to my lungs. I struggled to breathe. I kicked and struggled to break free. My vision started fading in and then fading out. I was forced to give up. I was going to die.
Just as I was about to drift away to unconsciousness and to my death, I saw an arm reach around his neck and pull him off of me. It was James. He was alright.
I gasped for breath.
James punched him and pushed him out the door. I saw something in James’s hand it was sharp and jagged. It was a small pocket knife. He held it up to stab the man but, the man grabbed his hand turning the knife around to stab James.
James screamed as the knife dug into his side and blood trickled down.
“No!” I screamed. I tried to get up but my body wouldn’t move. Tears began to stream out of the corners of my eyes.
James fell to the ground and the man turned